Police, rescue teams searching for missing 81-year-old woman

Police and local search and rescue teams are continuing their search for an 81-year-old woman who is missing after car trouble earlier this week following a visit to Porters Lake Provincial Park.

Myrna Burgess and a family member, an 83-year-old man, stayed in their vehicle overnight Monday into Tuesday after they got a flat tire, according to RCMP.

The family member left around noon on Tuesday to get help, walking for several hours before meeting other people, who tried to help bring the man back to his vehicle.

The group was not able to find the car, or Burgess, and contacted police around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The 83-year-old man was checked at the hospital and released.

The man also told police he spoke to two men on bicycles while walking on Tuesday. Police are asking those men to come forward to assist with locating the van.

Ground search and rescue personnel, along with an aircraft, are searching the area from Murchyville Road in the Musquodoboit Valley to Porters Lake Provincial Park.

RCMP Cpl. Dal Hutchinson said search and rescue teams have been combing the area since Wednesday morning.

"They've been going non-stop," he said.

"It's a very heavily wooded area with multiple roads that scatter in many directions. So as a result, we have multiple ground search and rescue teams, as well as a DNR helicopter and a private citizen with a search and rescue airplane searching the area here with the hopes of finding Myrna."

Hutchinson said it's a large geographical area, so they're hoping the helicopter and airplane will pick up the glare off the vehicle.

"If you get off some of the side roads here and you're not familiar with the area, it can be very difficult to find your way back out. And in this situation they experienced a flat tire, which contributed to this whole situation right now."

He said the damp and cold weather on Wednesday night, as well as health conditions, have police concerned. They also don't know whether Burgess had any water or food in the vehicle.

Hutchinson said the search will continue until police determine there's no reason to continue with it.

Burgess is described as white, with short white hair and mobility issues. She was in a grey 2017 Dodge Caravan with licence plate BZF 082.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact Musquodoboit Harbour RCMP at 902-889-3311.